809 Area Code Scam.

AT&T warns to be cautious when responding to e-mails or phone calls from the 809, 284 or 876 area codes.

Periodically, e-mails warning of a scam involving calls from the 809 area code circulate. The e-mails contend that there has been fraud associated with unscrupulous pay-per-call operators in that area code. However, the message contains some misinformation, especially the highly exaggerated cost of a phone call to the 809 area code, which is a legitimate area code for the Dominican Republic.

This long distance phone scam causes consumers to inadvertently incur high charges on their phone bills. Consumers usually receive a message telling them to call a phone number with an 809, 284 or 876 area code in order to collect a prize, find out information about a sick relative, etc. The caller assumes the number is a typical three-digit U.S. area code; however, the caller is actually connected to a phone number outside the United States, often in Canada or the Caribbean, and charged international call rates. Unfortunately, consumers don’t find out that they have been charged higher international call rates until they receive their bill.

AT&T offers the following information and tips:

* Return calls to familiar numbers only. As a general rule, return calls from numbers that contain familiar or recognizable area codes. You may call your directory assistance or long distance operator to check the area code location.

* Carefully read your telephone bill. Make sure that you only receive charges from your provider of choice. Ensure you thoroughly understand charges listed on your phone bill, have chosen to do business with all of the listed providers billing for those charges and have authorized additional fees invoiced. If your local service provider has changed, you will receive a final bill from the former provider and a notice of service disconnection.

If you believe that you have been scammed:

* Contact the carrier with whom the charge originated, whose name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the same bill page as the charge in question. Often, the problem can be resolved with a single phone call.

* If the carrier with whom the charge originated does not agree to resolve the problem, contact AT&T. AT&T will work with you and the carrier to help remove fraudulent charges from the phone bill.

You may file a complaint online with the Federal Communications Commission about this and/or related phone scams.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Smith Breakthrough

Racing in the Sprint Cup Series week to week is as tough for Regan Smith and Furniture Row Racing as it is for the points leader, Jimmie Johnson.

Probably tougher.

Still, given the limitations in resources at the small team, Smith is holding his own. Smith is 30th in the point standings and has made the field for every race. He is coming off his best finish of the season, a 12th at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

The 27-year-old Cato, N.Y., native was the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year.

In 2008, Smith, then driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc., took the checkered flag a Cup race in Talladega, Ala. A controversial penalty for "passing under the yellow line" overturned the victory, which was awarded instead to Tony Stewart. The record books show Smith as finishing 18th.

A late caution flag in Fontana put Smith’s No. 78 Chevy near the front of the field in the Pepsi Max 400. Crew chief Pete Rondeau elected to change two tires while the leaders were all changing four. That left Smith in second place and with 13 laps remaining, he briefly took the lead.

The worn left-side tires took a toll on Smith’s performance, but it was worth a shot.

"Two tires worked for us," said Smith. "We got the much-needed track position. Pete (Rondeau) made a really good call at the end. When we took the two tires, the car was pretty good. I was just lacking a little bit of grip to hold it for much more than that one lap. But to still maintain 12th was pretty good. It’s just frustrating to be so close to the top 10 and not get it."

What made the comeback even more noteworthy was the fact that Smith had twice been penalized earlier in the race.

"It was a roller-coaster day for us," he said. "We were running in the top 15 early and then got called for speeding twice on pit road, which moved us all the way back to the low 30s in track position.

"I guess misery loves company.

Sales figures for tissues and cold medicine are no doubt leadin’ the economic recovery. Seems ever’one I run into has the sniffles. The local stock of various remedies seems to be adequate.

Onea my problems is I have ta read all the ingredients and compare prices ‘fore I decide what drug I’ll experiment this year. I’ve found that it is best to pick up that box of tissues before ya go to the drug section. That way if a sudden sneeze comes on while your readin’ the labels, you got a tissue handy. ‘Course I still call all tissues Kleenex, but there is a wide variety of those also. With lotion, two ply, three ply, bargain brand, extra soft, etc. That’s all well and good while your shoppin’, but when the urge strikes, any old tissue will do.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

Please help me settle a bet with my father-in-law...the winner will buy the loser his next battery. My father-in-law claims that even though car batteries may be marked "maintenance-free," if the battery has vent caps you can pry off, you should do so, and check and - when necessary - refill the electrolyte levels as needed. I say no, that modern car batteries do not require checking electrolyte levels, and that by prying off the vent caps, you actually could cause some harm to a maintenance-free battery. Can you help settle our bet? - Mike

Ray: We can, but you’re not going to like the settlement, Mike.

Tom: Back in the 1970s, battery manufacturers switched over to calcium led plates, because they seriously reduced outgassing.

Ray: Outgassing, aside from being a by product of eating a beef-cheese-chorizo burrito, is when the fluid inside the battery heats up and "boils off." It’s similar to what happens when water boils and gives off vapor - eventually, you run out of water.

Tom: Because calcium lead grinds reduced outgassing significantly, and all but eliminated the need to add water to the battery cells, these batteries were called "maintenance-free."

Ray: But they don’t eliminate outgassing completely. And if the engine compartment is subject to extremely high temperatures, even a maintenance-free battery can loose fluid.

Tom: It’s not a regular maintenance item, like it was 20 or 30 years ago, Mike. But you owe your pop-in-law his next battery. If you’re really lucky, his next battery will be for his flashlight.